The ravine's sandstone walls still cradled the quiet after battle. A lone breeze rolled through the camp, rustling canopies and crest-fringed cloaks. Overhead, the twin moons arched together in rare alignment—one silver, one red—casting a gentle hue across the campfire's flicker.
The caravan lay at rest. Shin stood at the edge of the encampment, arms crossed, orb dormant at his side. From the vantage above the ridge, he watched the desert hush under starlight.
Behind him, laughter stirred.
Laverna sat cross-legged beside the fire, eyes half-lidded, posture loose for the first time in weeks. Her voice was unguarded, her smile lazy. Maika leaned into her shoulder, whispering something about "finally getting some real air," and Laverna responded with a quiet snort.
Alexandra stood apart for a moment, then stepped forward, light catching her eyes. "You've done well," she said.
Shin tilted his head. "We've all done well."
"No. You did more than command. You carried us. All of us."
He looked over the group: Zera sparring playfully with Tessara using sticks, Laverna curled like a sunbathing fox, Maika stoking the fire, Alexandra watching it all.
A caravan of loyalty, bound not by duty, but choice.
They rode at night, covered wagons trailed behind desert camels and runic beasts. Shin's party occupied the main carriage, a rare luxury offered by Valdorne's returning envoy. Inside, velvet seats and lanterns cast golden warmth.
Tessara sat by the window, her fingers tracing the vibrations of the mirror-glass. "I hear Orahm echoing," she said. "Even here."
"It's in you now," Alexandra replied. "Just as it is in all of us."
Laverna leaned back, arms folded behind her head. "Weird… I expected to feel more afraid, knowing we left it behind. But it's like… I'm still carrying it."
"You are," Shin said. "We all are."
Zera looked up from polishing Clarent. "The scroll fragment you retrieved—Tessara, any clearer?"
The priestess nodded. "Still veiled, but... there's a phrase repeating. 'The Ninth Tail must not fall out of step.'"
Shin's brow furrowed. "Then we keep moving."
They arrived at the western command ridge by dawn. Watchtowers flared in alarm before confirming the caravan's identity. The camp bustled—half fortress, half forge—as leaders from allied rebel nations and territories gathered in expectation. News had spread: Shin's return meant something important had shifted.
As Shin's caravan rolled into the heart of the compound, commanders and nobles alike paused their conversations. Murmurs swept the ranks as the party disembarked—each figure cutting a commanding silhouette in the light of early morning. The crests shimmered on the Servants' bodies like embers carried from myth.
And then Alexandra stepped into view.
A hushed gasp spread through the gathering. Some dropped to a knee instinctively. Others simply stared, as if witnessing the turn of a new era.
"That's… her," whispered one noble from the northern steppes. "The Radiant Queen of Orahm. From the old records."
"I thought she was only a legend," muttered another.
"She's real. And she walks with him."
The war council gathered in the central tent. Veteran commanders from the Fourth Talon flanked the long table. Mira, Tove, Rynn, Dalen, Father Grent, Lyssa, Olga—they stood when Shin entered, falling into respectful silence. Others from neighboring factions observed quietly from the perimeter.
But when Alexandra followed, heads turned more sharply.
"Lady... Alexandra?" Mira asked, blinking.
"She was Orahm's last queen," Shin explained. "Now she is one of us."
Father Grent clasped his massive hands together. "Blessed moons. The Radiant Queen of the East joins our side?"
Alexandra smiled, lowering her hood. "Not as a queen. As a voice. And a weapon, should you need it."
"Accepted," said Olga, arms crossed. "Long as you pull your weight."
Lyssa tilted her head. "Shin's group grows mighty."
Maika made a sound halfway between a scoff and a smirk.
From the back of the council chamber, Guild Master Davis stepped forward. He bowed deeply to Alexandra. "Tae stand in the presence o' the Radiant Queen is a rare honour, so it is. I once read o' yer lineage in my younger days—sacred writ in books we were ne'er meant tae touch. Never did I think I'd live long enough tae see history itself stride intae the war room."
Alexandra's expression softened, and she offered him a respectful inclination of her head. "There is no need to bow. I am no longer a queen. I serve Shin now, as his Servant."
Gasps rippled through the room. Even the most stoic commanders blinked in disbelief.
Davis straightened slowly, humbled. "Then history bends the knee tae him."
But among the council, the mood was shifting—not just amusement, but recognition. They weren't looking at a wandering swordsman and his companions anymore. They were seeing a myth in the making.
A living legend. A warrior surrounded by chosen stars.
Shin cleared his throat. "The Orahm gate is sealed. The warlock was repelled, and we've retrieved another prophecy piece. The next phase begins now."
Later, by a crescent-lit stream, Shin sat with Alexandra and Laverna. The three of them alone.
Laverna leaned against Shin's side, head resting on his shoulder. "First time I've seen this many stars and not felt hunted."
Alexandra smiled faintly. "You're still hunted. We just have teeth now."
Shin chuckled. "Fangs, fire, illusions, blades, and… inspiration."
"Didn't forget Zera and Maika," Laverna said, lips curling.
Alexandra turned toward her. "You're not afraid of me anymore."
"I was never afraid." Laverna paused. "Just unsure. But… I saw how you fight. How you cry. You're real."
"We all are."
They sat in silence, watching the water ripple with moonlight.
Shin awoke just before dawn. Something itched beneath his senses—an old instinct. He rose quietly, walked to the edge of the southern cliff.
There, he heard it.
The far, distant tremble of boots. Legions. Not marching to them, but somewhere across the continent. He couldn't see them. But he knew. The ground whispered.
Tristan was moving.
Behind him, Zera joined silently. "You hear it too?"
He nodded.
"The forge is being stoked," she said. "We'll all be tempered soon."
Shin clutched his orb, the amulet within responding faintly.
Let it come.
Back at camp, as the twin moons hung overhead in farewell, the Servants gathered for one final night of rest. They spoke not of fear, but of the future.
Tessara hummed a quiet tune, her soothing voice reverberating through the peaceful night. Maika sketched star maps with burning fingers. Alexandra healed the weary with her voice. Zera recited warrior chants. Laverna sat nestled against Shin, eyes closed.
This was peace.
This was purpose.
Tomorrow, war would call.
But tonight, they were a family.